Babies&#39; high chairs



April 30, 1957 D. E. HARDIE 2,790,486

BABIES HIGH CHAIRS I Filed Nov. 18, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l InventorDONALD ERIC HARDIE Ev -W 4.

- Attorney April 30, 1957- D. E. HARDlE 2,790,486

BABIES, HIGH CHAIRS Filed Nov. 18, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor DQNALDERIC HARDIE Ativrm'y April 30, 1957 D. E. HARDIE 2,790,486

BABIES HIGH CHAIRS Filed Nov. 18, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor DONALDERIC HARDIE Attorney United States Patent M BABIES HIGH CHAIRS DonaldEric Hardie, Keighley, England Application November 18, 1953, Serial No.392,925

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 24, 1952 19 Claims.(Cl. 155-124) This invention relates to chairs comprising a rigidfolding frame and a canvas or like seat. It is concerned particularlywith what may be called the frame geometry; and it has a particularusefulness in its application to babies high chairs.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a babys high chairthat can be folded up when not in use and to provide a babys high chairwhich is substantially safe against overturning as a result of thesquirming and such like movements of the child. Another main object ofthe invention is to provide a folding chair of the canvas seat type ofenhanced rigidity and stability.

A chair frame constructed according to the present invention comprises apair of main braces connected together at the top and spread apart toform an inverted V-shaped frame, the upper parts of said main bracesforming the back of the chair and their lower parts forming therespective front legs, a pair of rear leg braces spread apart atsubstantially the same angle as the main braces and pivoted to therespective main braces so that their lower parts form the respectiverear legs, a chair seat supported on the upper parts of the rear legbraces, said chair seat being of flexible material, such as canvas andthe like, and including a back forming portion for securing to theV-shaped frame, a seat portion and a pilch portion which is turned upand secured by a belt to the main braces when a child is supported onthe seat, and a cross strut extending between the members of a pair ofbraces so as to hold them spread apart.

The bars of the pair of main braces may be hinged together at the topand the cross strut may be displaceable, so that the chair can becollapsed to the extent of bringing the members of the pairs of bracestogether, and each rear leg brace may be releasably secured to itsrespective main brace as by a wing nut, so that the chair can becollapsed to the extent of bringing each rear leg brace into line withits main brace.

A chair frame constructed according to the present invention may havemeans for attaching to the frame a canvas or like seat in such mannerthat the weight of an occupant upon the seat tends to increase therigidity of the structure and the front corners of a canvas or like seatmay be constructed to be attachable to the upper parts of the rear legbraces. The side bars extend between the parts of the main braces andthe upper parts of the rear leg braces may be adapted to receive thesides of a canvas or like seat.

The side bars extending between the upper parts of the main braces andthe upper parts of the rear leg braces of a chair constructed accordingto the invention hold the chair against collapse by spreading the legsin a fore and aft direction. A chair frame constructed according to theinvention may comprise struts secured at the lower ends to therespective main braces and extending upwardly and forwardly, and sidemembers pinned tothe upper parts both of the struts and of. the rear legbraces so that they lie substantially horizontally, said. side membersserving also to hold the chair against collapse by 2,790,486 PatentedApr. 30, 1957 spreading of the legs in the fore and aft direction. Theside members may be adapted to carry a canvas or like table lyingsubstantially horizontally.

The canvas seat employed with the chair frame constructed according tothe invention is preferably a unitary canvas seat including a back coverand the unitary seat and back main brace, a pilch and a body belt.

In an alternative construction, the members of each pair of braces arerigidly connected and the cross strut is located adjacent the pivot axisof the leg and main braces to limit the pivotal movement of the bracesduring erection.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood fourpreferred embodiments thereof willnow be described by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

n Fig. 1 is a front view of the'first embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the second embodiment;

Fig. 4 is a side View of the third embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the tray for the third embodiment;

Fig. 6 is a front view of part of the third embodiment;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view from below showing theattachment of the tray to the frame of the fourth embodiment; I

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the lines IX-IX of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a broken front view of a tray similar to that shown inFigures 7 to 9 but having an alternative mean-s of attachment.

In the drawings, like references designate similar parts, of the variousembodiments of the invention hereinafter described with reference tosuch drawings.

The babys folding chair shown in Fig. l. and 2 consists of ageometrically rigid frame and a canvas support swung between differentparts of the frame. The frame consists of a pair of main braces 1 and 2,a pair of rear leg braces 3 and 4, a pair of side bars 5 and 6, and across strut 7. The pair of main braces 1 and 2 are hinged together atthe top by means of a hinge 8 and (assuming of course that the chair isin its open or erect position) are spread apart in the form of aninverted V, so that their two upper parts constitute the chair back andthe lower parts constitute the two front legs. The two rear leg braces 3and 4, again assuming chair erection, are pivoted to the respective mainbraces 1 and 2 at a position 9 somewhat below the seat and at an angleto the main braces, thujs constituting the rear legs and the supportsfor the seat front. The side bars 5 andfl6 are pivoted to the mainbracfes 1 and 2 at a position 10 above the rear leg fixture 9 and extendforwardly to rest in slots or recesses in the top extremities of therear leg braces .3 and 4, so that they are prevented from move ment inthe inward direction. (It may be convenient to prevent their movement inthe outward sense also, although this is not necessary as a matter ofthe chair geometry.) Finally there is the cross strut 7 which, when themain braces 1 and 2 have been spread apart, taking the' rear leg barswith them, fits' b'etween the members of the pairs at the crux to holdIhfil spread apart or alternatively across 3 and 4 only.

As an alternative the member 7 may be made to fit at both ends intotwoinner holes or recesses either in the back legs or even in the frontlegs of the chair, such holes or recesses extending only partly throughthe'thic'kness of the legs. Further, the member 7 need not be placed sohigh as'sh own in the drawing; but if desired can be situated-ataconsiderably lower level.

but it consists of three parts" namely theback, the seat,

and the pilch and body belt. The back part is in the form of a conicalsleeve 11 which is adapted to fit over the top part of the inverted Vformed. by the main braces 1 and 2 when they are spread apart. The seatis in the form of a belt 12 which can be fitted over the side bars 5 and6 and which has its rear edge sewn to the bottom front edge of the backpart 11 as indicated at 13. The pilch and body belt part is in the formof a triangular pilch 14 sewn to the front edge of the seat part 12 andhas the loop or belt 15 attached or integral with its free extremity. InFig. 1 the pilch and body belt part is shown hanging down, but in Fig. 2it is also shown in the wearing position with the belt hitched over theback of the chair.

The seating of the baby in the chair is obvious; but what has to bestressed are the two facts, firstly that the action of the occupantsweight is always in the direction of tightening and rigidifying thestructure, and secondly that infant occupant can never, no matter how orinto what position it may squirm itself, cause the chair to over-turn.Thus the weight of the occupant pulls downwardly upon the canvas at thepoint 13 so as to tend to tighten'the conical back part 11 upon the backframe; again the weight on the seat canvas 12 tends to pull the sidebars 5 and 6 inwardly towards one another and to bring with them theother frame parts also, but this tendency only serves to tighten thecross strut 7 in its place, this cross strut being the key to therigidity of the frame geometry. As for the question of safety, one wayof expressing this is to say that the child can never get a purchasewhereby he can put himself into an over-tilting position, or again thathis centre of gravity can never be displaced beyond the base as definedby-the four widely spread feet.

The chair as described and shown has two degrees of collapsibility. Inthe first place it can be folded out of the way by knocking out thecross strut 7 (which is attached to the other members of the frame by achain so that it shall not be mislaid) and dropping the two members ofthe pairs together so that the chair can, for instance, be restedagainst a wall. In the second place the connection, which is preferablya wing nut and bolt, at the point 9 may be loosened so that the mainbars and rear legs may be brought round into or nearly into line. Thewhole will then occupy a space not much more than the thickness of thebars and the length of the main braces, and can be packed into a bag fortransport; but remaining readily available should it be needed, as forinstance in a public restaurant.

The canvas seat and back is readily removable from the seat frame forwashing the canvas.

In place of the side bars 5 and 6 there may be a rectangular U-shapedwire inserted within the seat canvas 12, extending across the front andbackwardly along the two sides; the extremities of the wire may beturned inwardly and engage behind the main braces 1 and 2 at about theposition 10, without being attached to the braces; or the extremitiesmay be hoisted within holes in the braces.

The babys folding chair which has been shown in Fig. 3 differs from thatshown in Figs. 1 and 2 by the elimination of the side bars 5, 6 and theincorporation of a table; otherwise the two chairs are generallysimilar, and the same reference numerals have been used for similarelements in both cases, so that further description of those elements isthought unnecessary.

At the point 9 where the main braces 1 and 2 are crossed by and aresecured to the rear leg braces 3 and 4, there are also secured the lowerends of struts 16, one on each side, which extend forwardly and upwardlyso that their upper ends lie on a level with, but somewhat forwardly of,the upper ends of the rear leg braces'3 and 4. A table 17 is pinned tothe upper ends of both of the struts 16 and of the rear leg braces 3 and4, so that it lies substantially horizontally. This table 17 thus servesnot only as such, but it performs the further function,

" the childs knees.

frame against collapse by spreading of the legs in the fore and aftdirection.

Of course, in order to preserve the feature of foldability, the pinningof the upper ends of members 3 and 4 and/or 16 to the table 17 must bein some way releasable; and this is best provided for by having eitherthe pins on members 16, or, as shown, the pins on members 3 and 4,riding within slots 18, so that by loosening the wing nuts at point 9one can collapse the chair along the lines 19. Again, with a view topreserving what has been referred to above as the first degree ofcollapsibility, the table 17 consists of a canvas top stretched betweentwo side members. For feeding and like purposes a tray, as of plasticmaterial or wood or metal, may be fitted in place.

The canvas seat 20, not having the side bars 5 and 6 to hold it as doesthe seat 12 in Figs. '1 and 2, is attached to a cross bar 21 extendingacross between the upper parts of members 3 and 4. Like the cross strut7, this seatholding cross bar 21 must be displaceable to allow of thefirst stage of collapse, and it is preferably covered with soft rubberor like material to ease the pressure under Alternatively the front edgeof the seat 20 may be reinforced with stout wire or the like havinghooks at its two ends. These hooks will then engage in eyes on themembers 3 and 4 located at about the same position as the sockets forthe cross bar 21 in Fig. 3. An advantage of this latter arrangement isthat it preserves the feature of Figs. 1 and 2 that the weight of thechild on the seat tends to tighten and rigidify the structure,especially with regard to the cross strut 7.

The pilch and body belt, which have been clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2,have been omitted from Fig. 3 for the sake of clarity.

In the modification according to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 there are provided atthe upper ends of the members 3, 4 rigid therewith and extendinghorizontally in the erected condition of the chair, rests 22 having anundercut inner edge 23. The tray 27 employed in this embodiment has anunderneath spacing member 24, the outer ends of which are likewiseundercut as at 25, corresponding to the edges 23. Since, when the chairis occupied, the rests 22 will be drawn together under the weight of theoccupant, it is not necessary in this case for the table to be securedto the chair even at one end, as it will be firmly held in position bythe interengagement of the undercut edges. If desired, of course, hingesmay be provided along one undercut edge hinging it to the chair. Aplastic sheet 26 may be suspended loosely between the legs of the chairat a suitable distance below the seat.

The fourth embodiment of babys folding chair, illustrated in Figures 7to 9, is constructed in tubular metal, e. g. steel or aluminium. Themembers 1 and 2 of the pair of main braces are rigidly connected attheir upper ends by a semicircular portion 28 and the members 3 and 4 ofthe pair of rear leg braces are rigidly connected 'at their upper endsby a straight horizontal portion 29. The cross strut 7 is secured, as byWelding, to the rear leg braces 3 and 4 adjacent the pivot axis 9 andlimits the pivotal movement of the braces during erection by engagementwith the main braces 1 and 2.

The lower parts of the main braces and rear leg 'braces are spread apartby additional cross struts 30 and 31 secured, as by welding, to eachpair of braces towards the lower ends thereof.

The lower ends of the braces may be provided with rubber caps 32 toprevent marking of the surface in which the chair is erected.

The upper parts of the main braces '1 and 2 are bent at 33 so :as toform an approximately vertical back for the chair in the erectedposition. The upper parts of the rear leg braces 3 and 4 are bent at 34so as to lie in a substantially horizontal plane with the portion'29horizontal inth'e erected position of the chair. The

horizontal portions of the upper parts of the rear legi braces and thehorizontal portion 29 form a support for a tray 35.

The tray 35 is mounted so that it may be swung away from a horizontalposition to a position beneath the horizontal portion 29 and thehorizontal portions of the upper parts of the rear leg braces. For thispurpose, a sleeve 36 is revolubly mounted on the horizontal portion 29"and carries 'an offset spigot 37 lying at right angles to the axis ofthe sleeve 36. The spigot 37 is revolubly mounted in a holder 38 on thelower side of the tray 35. A spring clip 39 is also mounted on the lowerside of the tray for engagement on the horizontal portion of the upperpart of one of the rear leg braces. Two such clips may be provided ifdesired. Instead of forming member 36 as a sleeve it may be a solid bar,with a transverse opening therethrough, which is placed within tube 29.

A canvas support, similar to that provided for the second embodimentshown in Figure 3, is provided to constitute a seat for a baby. Thesupport includes a back part in the form of a conical sleeve 11 whichfits over the inverted V formed by the upper parts of the main braces 1and 2, a seat part 20 having eyes in the front corners for engagement onhooks 40 on the upper parts of the rear leg braces 3 and 4, a triangularpilch 14 sewn to the front edge of the seat part and a body belt 15.

In one practical form of construction, the height of the main braces is45 inches and these are spread apart 21 inches at their lower ends. Inthe erected position the pivot axis 9 is 18 inches from the ground andthe lower ends of the main and rear leg braces are 26 inches apart.

In use the chair frame can be lifted in one hand by grasping thesemicircular portion 28. To erect the chair, the lower ends of the rearleg braces 3 and 4 are then placed on the ground and a downward andbackward pressure applied to the top of the main braces 1 and 2. Whenthe cross strut 7 engages these latter, the chair is lowered to allowthe lower ends of the main braces to engage the ground.

To collapse the chair, the tray is first released from its engagementwith the horizontal portion of the upper part of the rear leg brace bythe spring clip 39, by swinging the tray about the axis of the sleeve36. The tray is then swung about the spigot 37 and released to aposition beneath the horizontal portion 29. The chair is then lifted,whereby the rear leg braces and main braces pivot towards each other sothat the chair may be stowed away in a minimum space.

Figure illustrates an alternative method of securing the tray 35 to thechair frame.

In this case, the horizontal portion 29 is split into two halves and thesleeve 36 is revolubly mounted thereon to cover the split. A bolt 41projects from the lower side of the tray at right angles thereto andpasses through apertures provided in the sleeve 36 so as to be revolubletherein. By means of a wing nut 42, engaged on the end of the bolt 41,the tray maybe secured to the sleeve and horizontal portion 29.

-It will be understood that the chair frame may be c011- structed inwood, metal or any other suitable material.

I claim:

1. A folding chair comprising a pair of main braces connected togetherat the top and spread apart to form an inverted V-shaped frame, theupper parts of said main braces forming the back of the chair and theirlower parts forming the respective front legs, a pair of rear leg bracesspread apart at substantially the same angle as the main braces andpivoted to the respective main braces so that their lower parts form therespective rear legs, a chair seat supported at the front on the upperparts of said rear leg braces, said chair seat being of flexiblematerial and including a back forming portion for securing to saidV-shaped frame, a seat portion,*a pilch portionwhich is turned up and abelt member for securing said pilch portion to said main braces when achild is supported. on the seat, and a cross strut extending between themembers of a pair of braces so as to hold them spread apart.

2. A folding chair comprising a pair of main braces connected togetherat the top and spread apart to form an inverted V-shaped frame, theupper parts of said main braces forming the back of the chair and theirlower parts forming the respective front legs, a pair of rear leg bracesspread apart at substantially the same angle as the main braces andpivoted to the respective main braces so that their lower parts form therespective rear legs, a chair seat supported at the front on the upperparts of said rear leg braces, said chair seat being of flexiblematerial and including a back forming portion for securing to saidV-shaped frame, a seat portion, a pilch portion which is turned up and abelt member for securing said pilch portion to said main braces when achild is supported on the. seat, and a cross strut extending between themembers of a pair of braces so as to hold them spread apart, saidmembers of the pair of main braces being hinged together at the top andsaid cross strut being displaceable, so that the chair can be collapsedto the extent of bringing the members of the pairs of braces together.

3. A chair according to claim 2, wherein each rear leg brace isreleasably fixed to its respective main brace, so that the chair can becollapsed to the extent of bringing the rear leg brace into line withits main brace.

4. A chair according to claim 2 and having means for attaching to, theframe a seat of flexible material insuch manner that the weight of anoccupant upon the seat tends to increase the rigidity of the structure.

5. A chair according to claim 2, including a detachable seat of flexiblematerial, said seat having front corners for attachment to the upperparts of the rear leg braces and a rear portion formed to fit over andbe retained' on the upper parts of the pair of main braces.

6. A chair according to claim 2 including side bars extending betweenthe upper parts of the main. braces and the upper parts of the rear legbraces to hold the chair against collapse by spreading of the legs inthe fore and aft direction.

7. A chair according to claim 2, including side bars extending betweenthe upper parts of the main braces and the upper parts of the rearlegbraces and formed to receive the sides of a canvas or like seat.

8. A chair according to claim 2, including struts secured at their lowerends to the respective main braces and extending upwardly and forwardly,and side members pinned to the upper ends both of the struts and of therear leg braces so that they lie substantially horizontally, said sidemembers serving also to hold the chair against collapse by spreading ofthe legs in the fore and aft direction.

9. A chair according to claim 2, including struts secured at their lowerends to the respective main braces and extending upwardly and forwardly,and side members pinned to the upper ends both of the struts and of therear leg braces so that they lie substantially horizontally, said sidemembers serving also to hold the chair against collapse by spreading ofthe legs in the fore and aft direction, and being formed to carry atable lying substantially horizontally.

10. A folding chair comprising a pair of main braces connected togetherat the top and spread apart to form an inverted V-shaped frame, theupper parts of said main braces forming the back of the chair and theirlower parts forming the respective front legs, a pair of rear leg bracesspread apart at substantially the same angle as the main braces andpivoted to the respective main braces so that their lower parts form therespective rear legs, a chair seat supported at the front on the upperparts of said rear leg braces, said chair seat being of flexiblematerial and including a back forming portion for securing to saidV-shaped frame, a seat portion, a pilch portion which is turned up and abelt member for securing said pilch portion to said main braces when achild is supported on the seat, and a cross strut extending between themembers of a pair of braces so as to hold them spread apart, saidmembers of each pair of braces being rigidly connected and the crossstrut being located adjacent the pivot axis of the leg and main bracesto limit the pivotal movement of the braces during erection.

11. A chair according to claim 10, wherein the lower parts of the legbraces and main braces are spread apart by additional cross strutsrigidly connected towards the lower ends of each pair of braces.

12. A chair according to claim wherein the upper parts of the mainbraces .are bent so as to form an approximately vertical back in theerected position of the frame.

13. A chair according to claim 10, wherein the upper parts of the rearleg braces are bent so as to lie in a main braces so that their lowerparts form the respective rear legs, a chair seat supported at the fronton the upper parts of said rear leg braces, said chair seat being offlexible material and including a back forming portion for securing tosaid V-shaped frame, a seat portion, a pilch portion which is turned upand a belt member for securing said pilch portion to said main braceswhen a child is supported on the seat, a cross strut extending betweenthe members of a pair of braces adjacent the pivot axis of the leg andmain braces to limit pivotal movement of the braces during erection,additional cross struts rigidly connected to each pair of braces at thelower ends of each pair, and a unitary seat and back cover of flexiblematerial for attachment to the upper parts of the main and rear legbraces, said upper parts of the main and rear leg braces being bent toform an approximately vertical back and to lie in a substantiallyhorizontal plane respectively.

15. A' chair according to claim 14 wherein a tray of support upon thebent portions of the leg braces to a position beneath said bentportions.

17. A chair according to claim 14, wherein said seat and back covercomprises also a pilch and body belt.

18. A folding chair according to claim 1; further comprising supportmembers rigidly connected to the upper ends of said rear leg braces andangularly related to the latter so as to be horizontally disposed whensaid main braces and rear leg braces are pivoted, with respect to eachother, to their erected positions, and a tray member removably mountedon said support members.

19. A folding chair according to claim 18; wherein said support membersextend parallel to each other and the confronting longitudinal edges ofsaid support members are undercut, and wherein said tray member has aspacing member on its underside adapted to fit between said supportmembers, the opposite edges of said spacing member being undercutcomplementary to said undercut edges of the support members so that saidtray member can be slidably engaged, and withdrawn from engagement, withsaid support members by horizontal movement of the tray member, butlifting of said tray member is prevented when said spacing memberengages said support members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS382,884 Lathrop May 15, 1888 971,738 Engstrom Oct. 4, 1910 1,341,225Clough May 25, 1920 1,422,915 Benson et al. July 18, 1922 2,031,109Kersteu Feb. 18, 1936 2,077,113 Klemm Apr. 13, 1937 2,531,080 Petersonet al Nov. 21, 1950 2,542,820 Legois Feb. 20, 1951 2,618,318 Welsh -LNov. 18, 1952 2,672,9l6 Kenncy Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 461,291Great Britain Feb. 15, 1937 637,079 Great Britain May 10, 1950 671,980Great Britain May 14, 1952

